Tama Stewart Copeland Signature Brass Snare

Superb snare drum. Although I’m new to drumming, I decided to stretch a bit and get a quality drum. In the grand scheme of snare drums, this is a mid-priced model. Adoring The Police, and admiring Stewart Copeland in particular, this is the only signature model that I would even consider. Other drums that I was considering include Ludwig M402 (John Bonham), Tama Starclassic, Tama SLP, Tama Starphonic, Porkpie snares, and DW drums. I did substantial online investigation of the SC145, and there was not a negative review or posting on any website or forum that I could find. The crack and volume of the drum is universally lauded, and I wanted a drum with snap and volume; if one wants to quiet a drum, there are many ways to reduce volume (mesh drum head, mufflers, practice pad atop drum, Evans Sound Off and the like, etc.), but it’s hard to gain volume and “oomph” if it’s lacking to begin with.

Copeland is known for tight tuning, batter and resonant heads, and this drum takes a well-turned drum key like butter. It never sounds constricted. I like that the chrome-on-brass is a full 0.5mm thicker than most other models, coming in at 1.5mm in total; even the similar Tama 14×5 Steel Snare is 1.2mm, and most metal drums are 1.0mm. Something about it, and maybe it’s my imagination, gives the shell a “bullet-proof” feel and the hits drive straight through the shell like gunfire. I like that (you may not, personal preference)

The lugs and hardware seem effective, so far no lost tunings or weird buzzes. The snare wire and throw work well, and I have had to adjust nothing beyond a half turn of the throw knob. Although there are higher end throws and butt plates, this one works splendidly. I realize that Tama uses plastic knobs on all their lower-end throws and butts, and I think a signature and other quality snares deserve a metal/chrome knob like most other manufacturers. Tama now has a newer Linear Throw system, which has chrome parts, and thus SC145 needs an update to that throw, IMHO. This is a minor shortcoming. That said, the signature nameplate is clean and square, and the fit and finish seem solid. Inside is a label with a faux Stewart Copeland signature; unlike earlier models from the early 2000s when this line of drums came out, there is no numbering inside the drum. Some online who own earlier models of this same drum (ten years ago) report that finding the lug screws is now impossible; I think this new drum uses Tama’s new lug screws (but I cannot confirm that fact). Also, some of the earliest SC145 models had an old throw that went out from the shell when opened, as opposed to this current throw running alongside the shel and no sticking out, leading to bumps, clothes catches, etc. I mention these as things to consider if you are buying an older model SC snare.

The drum sounds cracking and smart. It’s loud. It’s brash. It comes with Remo coated Ambassador batter head, which is precisely what Copeland uses (he has videos toting Remo as the only brand he uses).

The drum ships in a quality box (the drum was shipped without an outer box; the mailing label was applied to the actual drum box) and, while wrapped in cellophane with all hang tags, including inspection tag, warranty info, and small user’s manual, the drum does not have a lot of side packing; there is nothing touching the sides of the drum, perhaps to avoid rubs and scratches during shipping. Mine was in excellent condition as shipped and sold by Cascio Interstate, out of Wisconsin. (note: Amazon seller’s change, even for the same product, so by the time you are reading this review, the seller I used may or may not be selling to you).

It should be noted that the drum has a die cast top hoop, which gives great resonance to sticking rimshots, but the bottom hoop is a triple flanged hoop. Some would suggest (and have, on the forums) that this is shortchanging the drum with an inferior, lightweight bottom hoop. However, my investigation revealed that Stewart Copeland wanted the drum set up just like this, to add to the bottom resonance, prevent “choking” of the tight resonant head. Whether this is malarky or not, I will leave to the quants who play skins. All I know is that the choice is deliberate and seems to work well. Apparently, Copeland’s snare “of mysterious provenance” (most claim it is a Pearl Jupiter) was similarly hardwared. In fact, there is a Reverb video online from late 2017 (search your favorite video channel for Stewart Copeland Reverb Secret Grove and you’ll see the 19 minute gem) where Mr. Copeland takes a tour of his musician’s studio, the Secret Grove, and shows the original Police snare, explains that it came to him with mismatched rims, and is a Pearl (he puts hand over mouth jokingly when he says it, as he is a tried and true Tama man), and then shows how Tama has faithfully reproduced his Police drum. Although the original Pearl is in his home studio, videos of his 2007-2008 The Police touring kit (the most recent and perhaps last Police tour) uses the Tama SC145 on stage. Pretty cool. Here is the latest version of this snare drum.

There are many online video samples of this instrument, and I went back and listened to a couple samples after owning the drum for a few days. I think the videos are accurate in their look and sound depiction. A drum seller has a video on YTube (I cannot add a link here) that shows multiple tunings (low, medium, high) and, although some claim that this drum begs for high tunings (a la The Police), it does fine with alternative tunings. A fabulous all-around instrument, it seems. Again, I’m new to drumming so “experts” and those with experience might see things differently. You should do some research of your own before buying as I am just giving you my first impressions and distillations of what I have learned about this SC145 model.

A final note: Tama, although a Japanese company, does manufacture many of its drums in China; in fact, some online forums suggest that the signature model drums were originally made in Japan and then, about ten years ago, were transferred to China for manufacturing. Tama’s beginner, affordable models are definitely made in China now. As this is an intermediate priced drum for Tama, I had no idea where this was made when I ordered it. The label inside the shell, now that I have the drum in hand, states “Made In Japan”. If that’s what you’re looking for, that’s what this is (as of late 2017).

For those looking at Tama specifically, the Tama SLP Steel snare drum is a hundred clams cheaper than this SC145. It is made in China (I think), has cheaper steel shell (which does affect sound, some finding steel more strident) as opposed to chromed brass, and might have two flanged hoops. Above the SC145, you should consider the Tama Starphonic, which is a hundred clams more expensive. It is also made in Japan, has twin die cast hoops, a 1.2 mm shell thickness as compared to the 1.5 mm SC145 shell, but has the updated throw. I chose the middle ground, you might choose otherwise. What I can appreciate is that, despite the Copeland name, there appears to be a proper justification for the price point of this drum, and there doesn’t seem to be a markup based on signature name alone.

Note that, although this is a popular model, it’s rather hard to locate a retailer online that has them in stock. Tama Drums has somewhat of a reputation for shipping in small batches to it’s participating retailers. Even the massive instrument retailers with sweet, friendly, and ashy names tend not to have these in stock. I was delighted to find this one on Amazon, ships and sold by Cascio Interstate Music, a brand that I could research on their own website. I see very few of these on resale sites, and the one’s I located appear to retain their value well. Frankly, none of the used ones that I saw were worth purchasing as the price was so similar to new-with-warranty, so I bought this one here.

I’m pleased as punch, and hope you will be , too. Thank you.

Quality

This snare drum exceeded my expectations. I personally like running it to high range. Excellent drim